Hi Everyone

[Kevin Woodbury]

I'm new to this forum and i am hoping I am doing this correctly.

I've joined in hopes that someone might be able to guide me on the best selection of a 3rd party bulk ink system for am Epson 3880. As I understand it, Epson uses Resin encapsulated inks and therefore whatever system I select has to have this same technology.

The two companies in the USA that seem to be the most experienced (or at least the best from what I read) are InkRepublic and Cone.

I have no problem with large ink cartridges...so InkRepublic could work fine but Color Color Pro ink looks good...can someone help me in deciding which system is best.

I'm looking for inks that won't clog my system
Inks that have as good a color gamut as the Epson inks
Inks/systems that will reduce my operating expenses
Inks/systems that require the least amount of setup and ongoing maintenance

 

[Kevin Woodbury]

P.S. - my apologies if I have inadvertently started out wrong by posting this request

 

[The Hat]

P.S. - my apologies if I have inadvertently started out wrong by posting this request

Hi Kevin and welcome, firstly no apologue is necessary because you’re doing just fine, so please continue so let’s see if we can help with some good suggestions..

 

[Kevin Woodbury]

Hi Kevin and welcome, firstly no apologue is necessary because you’re doing just fine, so please continue so let’s see if we can help with some good suggestions..

Thank you so much. I am so confused by the number of CIS systems but seem to be focusing on Image-Alchemy (not sure they sell in the US) and Image Republic...and just now I came across PRO 3800. I've ruled out Marruttusa based on some of the negative reviews I've seen but don't know if the three I am looking at are any good.

I don't like the idea of two chips resetting everything (like in the InkRepublic system)...but am not sure how big a deal that is....so any advice/guidance on any of these systems (or any I haven't found yet) would be extremely helpful

 

[Kevin Woodbury]

P.S. - Part of my problem is not knowing what questions to ask (and when I do know some of the questions, finding the correct answers)...here are some questions I've determined may be important

- Are the inks Resin Encapsulated
- What is the initial setup process
- What ongoing maintenance is required
- Are the cartridges empty shells or are there diaphragms inside them?
- Are they vivid inks (which the 3880 uses)
- How does the color gamut compare to the original Epson inks
- Does each ink well/cartridge get reset automatically when you fill them
- Can you fill one, but leave another half full (or a quarter full)
- How do you handle the Maintenance cartridge
- Do you have to take ink cartridges out or can they stay in (even during refill)
- If they stay in...do they have to remain full at all times (or close to full)?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I posted some information relating to your questions about pigment inks here.
http://www.printerknowledge.com/threads/epson-inkjet-printers-and-their-inks.10373/#post-86832
I'm not a 3880 user, so I can't answer those very model specific questions but I'll try on some other. Epson claims that their pigment inks are resin encapsulated, I don't know whether that's common with all pigment inks like those Canon or HP are using, or whether it's specific to Epson, and even so I wouldn't have another choice.
Since there is not one other 3rd party ink brand but plenty you need to create icm-color profiles for your specific ink/paper combination, and a profile viewer could tell you whether this ink has a wider gamut than another ink. A gamut is not just the property of an ink, but needs to be evaluated always in connection with
a particular paper you are using this ink to print on. But very generally spoken 3rd party inks can have a comparable gamut like Epson inks.
'vivid' is Epson marketing speech for a particular Ultrachrome K3 vivid magenta ink type with the magenta a little bit more saturated thus expanding the gamut in that direction. It is measurable, but it's most likely visible only in a controlled setup for direct comparison.
And as explained in my other post there are other charcteristics of pigment inks like bronzing, gloss differentials between colors and to the surface of the paper.
As long as you use Epson genuine materials - inks and papers - you'll get quality results, those materials are optimized for each other, but typically cost conscious people looking for refill will use as well 3rd party papers, and similar to the inks you'll have a wide price range for papers which have quite a similar description like Higloss 240gr Photo or something. You need to test some papers for yourself - budget papers and brand papers like Hahnemühle, Canson and all the others, you need to find the paper/ink combination which fits your budget and your quality expectations

 

[Kevin Woodbury]

That you so much for the detailed explanation...I appreciate it

 

[The Hat]

Here is a video posted by @Oleg3d, it shows how you can use compatible cartridges with the Epson 3880, https://youtu.be/u99itJ-SbHw

If you got the time you might want to browse over this complete thread by @pharmacist, it's quite a lone one but worth it I reckon for a newbie..

http://www.printerknowledge.com/thr...ble-epson-pro-3800-cartridges-resetters.4216/